By Kimberly Gasuras
The Crawford County Arts Council has a permanent home.
Four years after the council was formed, the art community now has a permanent space at 1810 E. Mansfield St., the same building that is also the location of Showplace.
“A lot of people did a lot of work to make this happen,” said local artist and former board member of the council, Sandy Laipply. “We finally have a place where people can come to view the creations of our local art community.”
The Crawford County Center for the Arts officially opened its doors on Saturday and includes a gallery, office and classrooms.
Beverly Morgan, president of the board of directors, said the council partnered with the Bucyrus Rotary at their auction two years ago.
“We were able to use that money to receive matching grants from the Ohio Arts Council,” Morgan said.
Morgan said that funding for the center comes from a variety of sources including the annual golf scramble, grants through the Community Foundation for Crawford County, council membership fees, donations, grants, and revenue from the many art classes that will be offered at the location which will include painting, pottery, stain glass and much more.
Board member Harold Strang credits the property owner of the location, Jim Mayes, as helping the council reach their goal of obtaining a permanent space.
“He is a huge supporter of the arts council,” Strang said.
The Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the center on Saturday.
“A thriving city and a thriving art community go hand-in-hand,” Bucyrus Mayor Jeff Reser said.
Kristen Ellis, a local artist and board member, said she excited about the new space.
“This is great for local artists to be able to show their work and to sell their art,” Ellis said.
Morgan said it is a goal of the council to be able to offer classes to young artists, free of charge.
“We want to encourage young artists,” said Morgan. “We are grateful for all of the support from the community in making our dream of having a center for people to visit a reality.”
For more information, visit http://crawfordcountyartscouncil.com or https://www.facebook.com/crawfordcountyartscouncil.